Weekend Ride
by cmr2014
Summary: Meryl wasn't expecting what Vash brought home. Or what came after.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Trigun and its characters belong to Yasuhiro Nightow.

**Weekend Ride**

"_WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"_ Meryl pointed a finger at the contraption outside the front door.

"What, this?" Vash held up his revolver. "My six-gun. You've seen it a million times now, you should know it when you –"

"Not that, you broom-head! Put that thing away before you shoot your eye out. I'm talking about _that_!"

"Oh, this?" He ran a hand over his spiked-up hair. "Yeah, it is getting a little too long, maybe I need a haircut or –"

"Stop playing games, Vash!" Meryl commanded. "I'm talking about that _thing_ you're standing in front of."

This was not going as Vash had hoped it would. He tried to salvage the situation. Stepped out from in front of the beat-up motorcycle that had seen better days.

"It's our new wheels!" Ringmaster voice. Arms spread out like he was showing her what heaven looked like. Work that sale, boy. With enough pep, maybe she'd come around.

"It's an accident waiting to happen!" Maybe not.

Milly Thompson came out to see what the commotion was. "What's going on, you guys? Are you having another lover's quarrel?"

Meryl turned to her. "For the record, Milly, Vash and I do not have quarrels, we have discussions. And what's going on is that my husband is trying to kill us!" She pointed again at the bike.

"Oh, wow!" Milly exclaimed. "A motorbike! Just like Nick – er, Mr. Wolfwood used to ride!"

Vash beamed with pride. "I know, right? I haggled down the guy at the lot and got a really great deal on it, he didn't even insist on a credit check or anything. Said he trusted me and took cash on the spot."

"Saw you coming, is more like it," muttered Meryl.

"What's that, honey?"

She forced a smile. "Nothing, darling, nothing at all." Fumed silently.

When she sent him out for a new vehicle, she was expecting something with four wheels. Like, oh, say – a _car_. Not some overgrown bicycle on steroids.

"You know Milly's got a kid, Vash," she said. "You can't just put a kid on that thing. I guess it'll have to go back."

Vash parried her verbal thrust with, "They're sending over a sidecar later today. The kid can ride in that, no worry."

_Damn._ She tried another angle of attack. "How are we supposed to bring home groceries with that?"

He countered with a flourished wave. "Saddlebags."

She tried to bounce off his counter for a riposte. "Saddlebags are nice, but how do you expect me to get to work on that? I can't ride."

Meryl thought she had him, but he was too slippery and dodged. "That's one of the best parts. I'll take you and pick you up. No more walking back and forth to the office, and you get to show off your biker bad boy to all your friends." Grin.

Now he launched his own counter riposte. "Come on, Meryl, think of it – the open air, the endless sky, the sun kissing your skin, arms around me –"

It _was_ a pretty picture, she had to admit.

"– fifteen hundred cc's of raw power underneath you…"

His counter riposte veered off angle.

"Vash, did that guy tell you this was a fifteen hundred cc bike?" she demanded.

Her husband scratched the back of his head and thought. "Um…no. Actually, what he said was, "What you want is a fifteen hundred cc flat-six', and he took me to this. Why, what's the matter?"

Meryl smacked her forehead. "I _knew_ I should have gone! Vash, I love you dearly, but this is clearly a nine hundred V-twin – a prehistoric one, from the looks. _Please_ tell me you didn't think you were going to get a fifteen hundred cube flat-six for the money I gave you."

He colored. "I – well…hey, just how do you know that stuff anyway? You just said you can't ride!"

His wife stuck her finger on his chest. "That doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. I am first your wife, but second I work in insurance, or have you forgotten? It's my job to know these things!"

She made a mental note to switch the order of wife and insurance representative when talking to her boss. Tapped her foot with crossed arms.

"How can you tell the difference between a forty-four and a forty-five by the sound of the shot from four hundred meters away, but you can't tell what motorcycle you're buying?"

Vash grinned sheepishly. "Everyone has their specialties. And I _did_ save you some money!" He shoved what he had saved at her. She took it with a sigh and counted, then tucked it in a pocket to go in the cashbox later.

"Well, for what you got, that's an ok price," she admitted. "But you're going to need to have this thing fixed up."

Vash's face lit up. "We're not going to try to give it back?"

Meryl snorted. "He's probably already spent the money by now. I think we're stuck with this. Which doesn't have to be so bad, necessarily." She smirked. "I honestly wouldn't at all mind that office slut Jasmine seeing me picked up by the best guy on Gunsmoke."

"Want to give it a test run?"

"What, now?"

Vash reached into a saddlebag and pulled out a little picnic basket. "We could make a trip of it."

Meryl whacked him on the shoulder. "You set me up! You con artist, you planned this!"

Vash waved a finger at her. "Not entirely true. I didn't plan to buy the bike, just once I saw it, I thought about how much fun it would be to ride with you. Then I thought about what we'd do on that ride. Why not a picnic? Come on, what do you say? You know you want to."

He moved in close so only she could hear. "And you _do_ look damn hot wearing leather."

She colored. "You're not supposed to bring up Adventure Night in public," she hissed.

Raising the volume, she sighed and said, "I'm going to hate wearing a helmet, I'm telling you. I shudder at the thought of helmet hair."

Vash kissed her. "Insurance girl, you look sexy with any hair or no hair at all." He locked eyes with her. "So let's have a test drive and picnic already."

He was giving her the Look. The Look that overrode her practicality. The Look that had inspired Adventure Night.

She turned to Milly. "We'll be back in two or three hours. And quit smirking!"

Ran inside to grab a leather jacket to have at least some sort of protection when the stupid thing blew up on them. Came back out, pulling on a plain black number. Cursed this crazy man who could talk her into the most insane things.

Vash chuckled as she climbed on in back of him. Handed her a helmet from a saddlebag and said, "Don't forget this."

Meryl scowled as she put the blasted helmet on, glad she hadn't gotten her hair styled like she had planned to today. She was going to look terrible when she got this thing off.

"Where's _your_ helmet?"

She could feel her husband's smug grin. "Don't want to mess up my hair." That earned him another smack on his shoulder.

Just as he hit the kickstarter, a thought came to Meryl. "Do _you_ know how to ride?"

Vash grinned wickedly. "No, but I saw Wolfwood do it a million times."

Her shriek was lost in the roar of the engine as they took off.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Trigun and its characters belong to Yasuhiro Nightow.

For a guy who had never ridden before, Vash was pretty good and getting better every second. They weren't going at a snail's pace, but he wasn't pushing it to its limit, either. Wasn't pulling any crazy stunts. Took it just far enough to be a challenge, without ever actually risking losing control and putting his wife in danger.

Holding on tight, Meryl thought about her place of work, the local Bernardelli branch office. She had traded in field work for a nominal office position, while her real job for the company was keeping Vash out of trouble. Meryl was the only person Vash allowed to ride herd on him; and this was the only way the company didn't fire her for being the wife of the most dangerous man on the planet.

She was going to love the look on Jasmine's face when he started picking her up from work. Couldn't help but grin wickedly at the thought.

_That's right, trollop. I'm married to the best damn man to ever live, and he's only got eyes for me. Take that!_

An added benefit of this trip that she hadn't thought of – she got to spoon up against Vash's back, gripping him tight around his stomach. What a nice surprise.

Vash enjoyed it, too, protest though he might. "You trying to make me crash?"

Meryl laughed and kept it up. He talked her onto this crazy thing, he could deal with the consequences.

They went far off the main road, until Meryl started to wonder if there was any destination he had in mind, or if they would stop when he just felt like it. Dust flew behind them, and the bike wobbled a bit, but Vash wrestled it steady and kept going.

He grinned as he felt her surprise when he pulled into a small oasis. Very small; just a little pool of water and a nice patch of grass under the shade of a few trees. Not really worthy of being called an oasis.

But Meryl's excited gasp as they pulled in told him this little spot he'd found years ago was the right choice for a picnic.

"And here we are, my lady."

"Grass!" she squealed. "Actual grass for an actual picnic! Vash, you adorable broom-head!"

Vash was still grinning – he always liked it when he was able to impress Meryl.

The saddlebags had everything they needed for a little picnic – the basket with the food, drinks, and a large blanket that Vash laid down on the grass. Meryl was amazed he had been able to get anything else stuffed in, let alone a helmet for her.

Speaking of which... As she sat down on the blanket, she took the infernal thing off her head and set it by the basket, following it with the leather jacket. Felt Vash sit down behind her.

"I told you. You look good with any kind of hair."

She smiled and said, "You probably say that to all the girls."

"No. Just one."

She was about to reply when she heard the rustle of fabric and saw his shirt fly on top of her jacket, followed by his undershirt. Turned around to look at her shirtless husband.

"We haven't even eaten yet, and already you're trying to turn me on?"

Vassh leaned back, resting on his hands. Sunlight poked through little holes in the tree cover, highlighting little pieces of him. She supposed it was fitting for a picnic that he should look so yummy.

"No, though that sounds pretty good. Just, part of why I took us so far away was so I could enjoy being outside without being covered up for a change. I like to feel sunlight, too."

Crap. His scars. She should have remembered.

Meryl nestled up against him, laying her head on his chest and putting her arms around him.

"I'm sorry, Vash, I didn't mean to come off snarky. I'm so used to seeing you, I forget other people don't see you the way I do."

One arm went around her shoulders. "How _do_ you see me, Meryl?"

She looked up into his eyes. "You think without being covered up, you look horrific. And maybe people _would_ run away. But never mind them. You absolutely do _not_ look anything close to what you think.

"When I look at you, my darling Vash, I see you – a man strong enough to pay the price for his convictions without bending. Your scars are not damage, they're testimony to your character. You should never be embarrassed about them." She ran a finger across one lightly.

"I like that you think that." Vash kissed her. "It's been a while since we've had a chance to be alone like this."

Meryl smiled. "Yeah. I forgot how nice it feels just to be with you. Life is really good at getting in the way." She glanced at her watch. "Hey, we're supposed to be getting back in a bit. We'd better get this picnic started."

They got set up. Paper plates. Napkins. Sandwiches, chips with dip in storage containers, jerky, donuts for dessert, and beer for Vash, juice for Meryl. He was shocked when she took a beer.

"I got you juice, you know. I know you don't care much for beer."

She clinked her bottle against his in a toast. "Our bike. Our picnic. Today, I want to share everything with you, drinks included."

Vash laughed, a happy sound that she treasured.

They drank and ate and enjoyed each other's company. It was tough to have any quality time together without being interrupted by Milly's kid. Their time together was mostly snatches here and there. And if Vash was ever around the kid for too long, he started to get affected. _"Is mommy-wommy home from worky-jerky?"_

Milly thought it was hilarious. Meryl, not so much. She kept a right cross tucked away for such occasions.

Thinking about it made Vash think some more. "Things have changed so much."

Meryl set down her food and leaned against him again, taking a swig of beer. "For the better, I think."

He chuckled. "Yeah, for the better. But don't you ever think about the old days?"

"Oh, you mean when you were always trying to ditch Milly and me? Or when you were always following girls around like a lost puppy? I swear to God, that bitch Jasmine reminds me of that plant engineer. _'Come along, Spot.'_ Tch."

Yikes! "Not quite what I meant. I was thinking a little more along the lines of when we did stuff together. Like the Bostalk incident, remember how you shot that sheriff's badge out of the air? Damn, you're a good shot." He kissed her on the cheek. "Or the look on your face when you finally had to admit to yourself who I am. Priceless."

Meryl blushed. "You saw that? I thought you were too busy with the aftermath of the Nebraskas."

"Honey, the whole city saw you freak out. Did you really have that hard a time with it?"

"Of course I did! You were the world's biggest knucklehead! How could someone as fricking goofy as you possibly be the most wanted man on the planet?"

His tone was smug. "Milly saw it."

She rolled her eyes. "Will you shut up and enjoy our time together?"

"Before I do, I want you to answer a question."

Sigh. "What now?"

He tilted her chin up. Locked eyes. No Look…something much more serious.

"When did you know you love me?"

Shit just got real.

Meryl felt a pain she had thought long gone. Blinked away tears at the memory.

"When I thought you were dead."

That torn piece of his duster blowing in the wind…so long ago now, but she felt it like it was this morning. Felt the same dread in her gut. All she had known was she had to go to him, had to find him and stand with him, no matter what was coming. Had to make sure her fears weren't true.

His arms pulled her in, bringing her back to the present. He wasn't dead.

Meryl touched him, just to reassure herself that she could. Ran her hand over his torso, feeling the slight differences between skin and scar and metal.

He took her hand and kissed it. "I'm not going anywhere, insurance girl."

She locked her arms around his neck. "The worst times of my life were watching you walk away. Even the last time, when I understood why, it was all I could do just to stand it. You always try to carry the world."

Vash kissed her neck. "Not right now, I'm not. I've only got two arms, and they belong around you. Focus on right now, it's the only thing that matters."

"Say my name," she murmured. "The way I want to hear it."

Her husband chuckled, knowing what she wanted. Whispered in her ear, "You are _my_ insurance girl. _My_ Meryl."

She sighed contentedly. Leaned back and looked in his eyes again. "What about you? When did you know?"

Grin. "I've always known you love me, since the thing with Schezar. Never miss my mark, remember?"

He narrowly avoided her playful whack. "Be fair, Vash. Give a real answer."

One finger traced the profile of her jaw. She was so delicate in structure, so resolute in nature.

"When you backed up your words."

"What do you mean?"

"First time you saw me uncovered, you said you wouldn't run away."

Her blush returned, deeper. "I didn't think you caught that."

Pulled her close again. "I did. And I'm sorry, but at the time I chalked it up to a crush. Nothing that would last. People have had crushes on me before, then run anyway.

"But after Wolfwood, and Legato…when I was ready to die, you backed up your words. You stood up for me when it would have been more practical to just let them have me. I'd felt – something, tugs here and there – but you gave me back both my life and my faith. That's when I knew for sure."

Maybe it was the alcohol, but her heart filled and overflowed into action. Meryl kissed him with such force he was knocked onto his back with her on top. They hadn't kissed like that for a while, and it was a few minutes before they broke for air.

"I was thinking," he said breathlessly.

Meryl, now laying by his side, propped her head up on her hand. "That always leads to trouble."

He shushed her with a tap on the nose. "Wolfwood always said you should name a bike after someone important."

"What, you want to name it Wolfwood?"

His brow furrowed. _"Vash, we need groceries. Would you ride Wolfwood to the store?"_

Riding Wolfwood. That image was wrong in so many ways. He shook his head to clear it.

"Actually, I'd like to try naming it Meryl."

Meryl's smile was simultaneously sweet and menacing. She emphasized her words with pokes to his chest. "You can try, and you can die."

The sound of his laughter washed over her like cool water, and she closed her eyes to enjoy it. "I love your laugh."

Kept her eyes shut, just to enjoy the feel of his fingers in her hair, twirling locks randomly. Felt a button on her top be undone.

It was a nice thought, imagining they had all the time in the world in this lovely little picnic spot, but it couldn't go on. She opened her eyes.

"We'd probably better pack up and head back."

"Oh, I don't know," Vash told her. He undid another button, grinning when he saw she wasn't re-buttoning. "I think the bike's broken down. Looks like we're stuck out here for a while. What to do?"

"Vash, come on, be practical."

His response was to undo another button. Half the top was open.

It was time to put her foot down. She looked him in the eyes and started to speak – he was giving her the Look. Crap! Meryl got so lost in his eyes she didn't notice him untuck her top and undo the rest of the buttons.

"You know you want to," he sang as he slid her top off. She involuntarily – it _was_ involuntary, right? – threw it with his shirt.

"I'll tell you what," he said. Kissed her neck as he removed something else from her. "If you want me to stop, just say so."

Meryl thrilled to the feel of his touch. "Damn you and your smoldering eyes," she breathed. "You know I don't want you to stop."

Vash chuckled. "If it really bothers you, I'll make it quick."

"You most certainly will not," Meryl declared, pushing him on his back again. "You started this, so get ready for the full ride, cowboy."

Vash liked the sound of that. "Yippee-ki-yay!"


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Trigun and its characters belong to Yasuhiro Nightow.

It was after dark when they got home, pushing the bike.

"Oh, there you are, it's about time!" Milly was waiting for them.

"We're awfully sorry, Milly, I never dreamed we'd be this late," Meryl offered.

"Yeah," Vash said. "The stupid bike broke down and we had to push it all the way back here. That's how come we're so late. I'll have to push it into town tomorrow to be fixed."

He went inside. Meryl retrieved the picnic basket from its saddlebag and was headed in when Milly placed a hand on her shoulder. "So the bike broke down?"

Meryl nodded. "Yes."

"And you're so late because you had to walk it back here?"

Another nod. "That's right."

One problem. Milly was not as naïve as people often took her for.

She couldn't hide her smirk. "Nice, try, Meryl, but you both have got-laid grins stuck on your faces, which means you spent most of the day getting them - you two are incapable of being satisfied with one go. And the next time you say it broke down, think about the noise. That thing's so loud I heard you coming a couple kilometers away."

Meryl's cheeks colored deeply at being caught.

Milly laughed and clapped her friend on the back. "At least we know you enjoyed your weekend ride!"


End file.
